Garment-hanger.



J. WALTERS.

GARMENT HANGER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 28, 1911.

Patented Jan. 30, 1912.

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COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH Cm, WASHINGTON, D- C.

JOSEPH WALTERS, OF RICHIvIOND, VIRGINIA.

GARMENT-HANGER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 30, 1912.

Application filed August 28, 1911. Serial No. 846,400.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OSEPI-I WALTEus, a citizen of the United States, residing at Richmond, in the county of Henrico and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in GarmentIIangers; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the in vention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to coat racks, and more especially to those made of wire; and the object of the same is to produce a rack of this character for supporting garments beneath an overhead member such as a shelf, and to give the sliding member two points of support from the hanger whatever the relative position of parts.

To this end the invention consists in the details hereinafter more fully described and claimed and shown in the drawings where- Figure 1 is a sectional perspective view of a portion of a closet with my improved garment hanger applied beneath the shelf there of; Fig. 2 is an enlarged transverse section through the support or shelf and the supporting member, and a side elevation of the hanger member; Figs. 3 and t are sections on the lines 33 and 4-1 of Fig. 2 respectively.

In the drawings the reference letter WV designates a wardrobe or a wardrobe trunk, or it might be a closet, cabinet or other place where clothing is to be hung; and S is a shelf or support therein beneath which it is desired to mount the improved garment hanger forming the subject matter of the present invention. In order that this may be accomplished and that the entire hanger can be taken down or its parts separated at times when desired, I construct them in detail as described below.

The supporting member of this improved hanger comprises a straight flat strip of metal numbered 1 having an upturned foot 2 at its front end provided with a notch 3, and two brackets by means ofwhich this strip is supported beneath the shelf or other support S. These brackets are alike, and a description of one will suffice for both. Each is of strap metal having a depressed center 1 which passes across the strip 1, upright sides 5 rising past its edges, and outturned' feet 6 through which screws or other fastening devices 7 pass upward into the support S. In addition, if desired, a rivet, screw, bolt, or the like, numbered 9, may pass through the depressed center of the rearmost bracket and through the strip 1 for holding the parts properly assembled, the front end of said strip preferably projecting forward of the front bracket and its upturned foot standing about even with the front edge of the shelf or support S as seen.

The hanger member of this improved garment hanger is by preference made of wire of the proper gage, finished like the other member and all parts, in nickel, enamel, or some similar way to give it a tasteful appearance and prevent rusting. This wire member is bent into.the form of an oval loop, the upper arm 11 of which is adapted to pass through the notch in the foot of the supporting member and extend through the front bracket and slide beneath the shelf or support S, and the lower arm 12 of which is intended to hang below all other parts for the reception of garments or other articles to be supported by this improved hanger. In order to produce this shape of the hanger proper, the upper arm 11 is bent at its front end as at 13 in a curve which merges into the lower arm 12, and the rear end of the latter is bent upward in a curve 14 and its extremity is flattened as at 15 to engage a runner 16, the latter being of a shape to slide upon the fiat strip of the supporting member and having at its upper portion an eye or extension 17 which is of a shape to receive the inner extremity ofjthe uppermost arm 11. In order to prevent the dislocation of this runner, the upper side of said arm 11 is notched as at 18 to receive the extension 17, and in order that the inner extremity of said upper arm will not dislodge the rivet or screw at the rear end of the supporting member, it is preferably undercut orbeveled as seen at 19.

The proportion of parts is about that shown in the drawings.

In use the hanger may be housed within the supporter by pushing it back beneath the shelf, and in doing so the straight upper arm 11 slides through the notch in the foot and passes through the front bracket, while the runner 16 slides along the strip until it contacts with the rear bracket at which time the bend at the front end of the loop will occupy a position almost beneath the front edge of the shelf S and yet where it can be grasped by the hand of the operator. When it is desired to draw forward the garment; hanger proper, as for exhibition of the clothing hung thereon or access thereto, the user inserts his finger in this bend and pulls the loop forward. In this movement the parts slide over each other in a manner which will be clear, the rear end of the arm 11 moving beneath the shelf S and its body sliding over the notched foot of the supporting member in a manner already described. The foot serves at all times as a fulcrum to support the weight of the garments hung upon the loop, and the runner at the rear end of the latter assists in supporting the same by its close embrace of the strip and the fact that it permits the inner end of the straight upper arm to rest beneath the shelf S. The undercutting of the rear end of the upper arm 11 as seen at 19 not only produces a bevel on its lower face which passes over the rivet 9 and therefore permits the loop to he slid back as shown in Fig. 2, but also leaves a long projecting tongue at the upper side of the rear end of this arm 11 which contacts with the lower face of the support S and coacts with the fulcrum in supporting the loop when drawn out to its fullest capacity, and at such time it needs an extremely strong support because the weight of the garments hanging thereon is thrown almost entirely onto the front bracket and the upturned foot 2. Thus it will be seen that the disposition of the runner l6 connecting the ends of the loop-member just where it does possesses the advantage of allowing one extremity of said loop to project to the rear and coact with the fulcrum in supporting the hanger when extended to its fullest capacity.

A striking feature resulting from the above construction of the parts of my improved device lies in the fact that the sup porting member may be secured beneath a shelf S which is much wider than that illustrated in the drawings, because the frontbracketcan be attached thereto where de sired, whereas the rear bracket is intended to be attached beneath the shelf at just such a point that the notched foot. will stand about under the front edge of the shelf as shown. Moreover the parts of this device are readily separated and attached to or removed from an overhead shelf or support, because all that is necessary is to manipulate four screws when the whole device removable, and then remove one additional screw when the parts thereof can be separated from each other.

hat is claimed as new is:

In a garment hanger, the combination with the supporting member consisting of a flat metallic strip having at its front end an upturned foot with a notch through its extremity, and open brackets securing this strip beneath an overhead support; of a hanger member consisting of a metallic rod bent into a loop whose upper arm slides upon said strip and through said brackets and notch, is notched in its upper side near its rear end, and is undercut at its rear, and whose lower arm. is integrally connected by a bend. with the front end of the upper arm and its rear end upturned and flattened be low said notch; and a runner embracing said flattened end and loosely surrouiuling said strip and having above the latter a reduced extension embracing said upper arm and. engaging the notch therein.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOSEPH WALTERS, lVitnesses 'lnos. R. Enos, F. W. lVA'rsoN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for live cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G. 

